by J. K. Barber
“Oh, I am sorry,” Jared said and released her.
The Princess smiled sweetly. “You were dreaming. I am glad you are awake now,” she purred and continued to wipe his forehead with the cloth. It felt pleasant, so he did not stop her. Instead, his attention was drawn to the low cut gown she wore of thin teal silk and then to the room. He was in his green-draped quarters that had been given to him to stay in while in the palace. His gear had been set on the small round table, and his clothes, looking clean, mended, and neatly folded, lay in one of the chairs.
It was then that he realized his chest was bare. What else of me is bare and who undressed me? Jared thought. His eyes went back to the Princess, who had a silly grin on her face. He then noticed they were very much alone in his room. She wrung out the cloth and set it on the side of the silver bowl on his nightstand. She rose from her chair and sat on the bed with him. Jared recoiled but not too much as to be outwardly rude; being royalty, one could not offend Lilliandra without repercussions. She ran her fingers lightly across his chest. Her eyes were mischievous, looking down innocently and then looking up a moment later with a hunger in her eyes.
“Your... Highness,” he spoke bluntly, remembering to use the correct title. “What do you think you are…?” His voice trailed off, as she shushed him with a finger to his lips. Much to Jared’s horror, she got to her knees and put a leg over him, her skirt riding up to her thighs. Jared put his hands around her waist to move her off, but she just grabbed them and pulled them upwards to her breasts.
“Your Highness!” he yelled and began trying to force her off of him. His chest tightened painfully and his thigh throbbed, as he struggled. He didn’t like where this was going.
The door opened, and Sasha rushed in with her sword drawn. “Jared, are you okay?” The swordswoman said, “I heard a yell... oh, oh.” She took one look at the Princess on top of the blushing Jared and turned her back, her face bright red. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know…”
Princess Lilliandra’s caramel skin flushed with embarrassment, turning her skin almost the same color as her mahogany hair, and she quickly got off Jared and fled the room. Sasha sheathed her sword and then just stood at the door, not knowing what to do. Jared slid out of bed, limped over to the table and chairs, where he had spotted his clothes. He did his best to slip his pants on, but with his thigh bandaged it was difficult. Finally, he managed to pull the breeches up over his hips and began to lace them.
“I am so sorry. I was just coming to get you, and I heard the yell. I should have knocked,” the swordswoman nervously said, fumbling her words. Sasha retrieved her white bearskin coat from the floor, where she had dropped it to free her hands to draw her sword, and slung it over her arm. She took a deep breath, still keeping her back to Jared, and collected herself. “The King wants to talk to us.”
“How long have I been asleep?” Jared asked, painfully stretching his tired limbs.
“Then you don’t remember?” Sasha asked.
“I am not sure what you are referring to,” Jared replied. Much of their battle had been a blur in his memory, and he knew nothing of what had happened afterwards.
“It is the night after the fight in the catacombs. I can fill in some of the details.” Sasha paused a moment before saying, “Again, I am sorry for just barging in. I did not know that…”
“Oh no,” Jared said quickly. “Sasha, thank you! I don’t know what the Princess was thinking. I did not like where it was going though. You can turn now. I am decent.”
Sasha turned and what looked to be relief spread across her face. Jared tried to pull his shirt over his head but wobbled, the garment over his eyes throwing off his balance. He was still weak from his leg wound. The woodsman had no choice but to remove the shirt or fall, so he slid it off again.
“Here let me help,” Sasha said. “Your wound is still pretty bad.” She had him hunch his back, and she pulled the shirt back over his head. “Chyla is torn between grieving and wanting to heal everyone. Apparently, her father, The Elder of Blodwood, showed up in the middle of the fight. He… didn’t make it.” Jared’s face saddened along with Sasha’s, as she settled the shirt around his waist. “Chyla and Niko are exhausted after healing the most serious of the wounds among us. My father’s lung was punctured, your leg was very bad off, and I took a sword to the abdomen.”
Jared put a hand to her stomach in concern but felt no bandage. She was dressed in a simple, white linen blouse and tan leather breeches, her sword belt wrapped about her hips. Sasha blushed, her unbound red hair that smelled of strawberries falling across her face. “I am well,” she said. “Hopefully, when Niko and Chyla are rested they can do more for you.” Jared released her, realizing that touching her had felt quite natural, and busied himself by putting on the rest of his gear. His heart still raced a little from the Princess’ advances, but he was pleasantly comfortable in the redhead’s company. Would I have pulled away had it been Sasha that had sat astride me? He thought, thoroughly distracted.
“Luckily,” Sasha continued, her voice calling Jared’s attention away from his thoughts, “Mala still had a sealed healing potion left over from the battle at Snowhaven. After you passed out, she fed it to you. If she had not, you would have bled to death down in that place.” Jared’s face soured, as he sat in a chair upholstered in green velvet and pulled on his boots. Sasha chuckled at his acerbic visage, lightening the mood. She said, “I guess she likes you after all and decided you could stay around a little longer.”
Jared smirked at the backhanded endorsement from the swordmistress. “Katya had mentioned these potions on our journey here. They sounded pretty hard to make but handy things to have around. Perhaps I should visit Snowhaven and pick up a few for myself,” he said, watching Sasha’s face to see if the woodsman visiting her home would please her. She smiled shyly and sat in the chair next to him. I’ll take that as a yes, Jared thought, beaming inwardly.
Jared and Sasha were quiet for a moment, the mood sobering as Sasha demeanor grew distant. He wondered if she was thinking about the battle and what she and her sister had become. The woodsman’s thoughts wandered back to the night before. “Sasha, you and your sister… joined. What are you?” he inquired.
“A true blessing of the divine, and a sign that She watches over us all,” Talas said, as he entered the room through the still open doorway. He crossed the room and plopped down in one of the two large cushioned armchairs by the fireplace, the one that faced the young pair.
Jared and Sasha looked at each other, both realizing that they hadn’t closed the door after the Princess had fled, and their cheeks flushed red as their an intimate moment was interrupted.
“I am human just like you,” Sasha added, self-conscious and lowering her eyes. “What happened last night… well, I am not sure what took place. It has never happened before. Katya went to heal me and something occurred. I don’t know what to tell you, Jared. Hopefully, we can figure it out, all of us. Talas believes it was a gift from the Great Mother herself.”
“What do you think?” Jared asked Sasha, looking from the swordswoman to Talas.
“I believe that any miracle is a gift. I know Katya and I are twins. We also have fought side by side our entire lives. With magic anything is possible,” the redhead replied and shrugged. “Katya and I both feel strange today, yet strangely refreshed.”
“You and your sister,” Talas broke in, “have been chosen by the Great Mother to be Her instrument. When Her balance is threatened, She will often take extraordinary measures to preserve it. Her methods are often mysterious to us, but believe me when I tell you that they all have a purpose.”
“While your faith is comforting,” Sasha replied, “I am still not entirely convinced. The events down in the catacombs could still be explained by magic.”
“Which ultimately comes from the Great Mother,” Talas was quick to interject.
Jared broke in to the conversation, before it turned into another one of the old veteran’s philosop
hical debates. “While the religious implications of this are important, let me be the voice of practicality.” Talas and Sasha looked inquisitively at the woodsman. “Until we know exactly what it was that happened, and why, we should keep this secret to ourselves. Who else knows?”
“Just us, for now,” Sasha said. “My father kept that part of the battle out of his report to the King. Father is concerned by what Magus Lucian’s response might be.”
“One might say that such an omission might be construed, by some, as lying to the King,” Jared said, but continued before Sasha could respond. “However, I can see that he is simply being protective of his family, and frankly, I agree with the decision, whatever the reasons may be.”
They were all quiet for a time, before Talas finally said, “Well, I will leave you to finish getting ready.” As the older man left the room, he closed the door behind him, a knowing smile on his face.
Sasha helped Jared buckle on his belt pouches, and he was just about ready. The swordswoman was not dressed for a fight, so Jared left off his armor and put on a green leather jerkin instead, loosely laced for comfort. The redhead helped him tie the laces; his hands were swollen and clumsy from the loss of blood.
As Jared managed to put his sword belt around his hips, its larger buckle easier to fasten, he asked, “So, where are we to meet with the King?” Jared then began placing his smaller blades about his person. Sasha removed her tan belt, put on her sleeveless fur coat, refastened the silver inlaid leather belt, and then began braiding her hair quickly but efficiently.
“We are going to the King’s private meeting room in his quarters,” she replied. “After Daddy gave his written report, the King and the Magus thought it to best to keep the events that transpired last night away from common knowledge, even in the palace. Only a few know that a fight happened last night at all. The King does not want loose tongues making their way to the city itself and cause a panic amongst the people, who are already terrified by the Ice Queen.”
Jared nodded. He started to limp slowly toward the door. Sasha watched him. “Well, if we are going to get there today,” she grinned at Jared, who scowled back at her, “you might want to allow me to lend you some assistance.” Jared hesitated but then nodded.
Sasha approached him, took Jared’s left arm, and put it across her shoulders. She then put a strong supportive arm around his waist, taking some of the weight off his injured left leg. Her skin smelled of lavender soap. It soothed him, and he felt comfortable in her arms for a second time. Jared stopped her for a moment before they exited the room.
“Thank you, Sasha… and for earlier as well with the Princess,” the woodsman all but whispered. Sasha laughed outright at the last part. Jared scowled at her again, “Well, I am glad it amused you.” Sasha laughed even harder, and Jared’s face darkened even more. Her laughter slowly faded, and Jared’s face lightened at the sight of her smiling. Her grin, which made her almost glow, was contagious. He finally smiled back, dropped his head, and chuckled once, while shaking his head back and forth.
“Shall we?” Sasha asked. Jared nodded, and they proceeded out the door and down the hall.
Sasha and Jared entered the meeting room, whose walls were covered in rich tapestries depicting battles of the past. They were greeted warmly by those gathered in the chamber. Sasha released Jared to walk on his own. His feet sank into the large plush rug with a green ivy design that covered the entire floor. Branden, with a bandage around his forehead, clapped Jared on the shoulder. Jared winced uncomfortably.
“Well done with that arrow, Jared,” the big man said. “Unfortunately, I was unconscious when you shot the crystal that the Shadow Walker sorcerer was wielding, but Mala won’t stop telling me about it. Your aim must be fantastic. Thank you for keeping my family and friends safe, when this old body gave out on me.” The older man smiled at the woodsman. Jared eyed the smith oddly, even more so when Branden extended his hand. “I know I’ve been harsh on you. Trust is something hard to earn in Snowhaven. After last night, however, you have proven yourself to be a friend.” Jared still stared at him in disbelief, so the smith went on to say, “When you bleed together in combat a bond of trust is formed. You did well, son.”
Jared hesitated with a look to Sasha, but she just smiled back at him. Jared chuckled and took Branden’s hand. The smith’s strong grip and vigor almost made Jared lose his balance. The older man had Sasha’s same glow in his grin. He knew now where she got it from.
“We all did our part well,” Jared said.
Mala came up and clasped hands with him as well, her smile showing her white teeth that always made him uneasy. Jared’s attention was drawn away from her face, when he noticed the Master Swordswoman moved with a stiff back, as if the breastplate she wore was pressing on a hidden wound. Her pleased expression said it didn’t pain her too much though.
“I am sorry about your friend, Mistress Mala. Sasha told me as we walked down the hall that one of those… things used to be your sorcerer partner. That was a foul deed on the Ice Queen’s part,” he said, wondering if he should have mentioned anything at all, when tears welled up in her eyes. It was strange indeed coming from the hardened veteran. Mala didn’t respond, just nodded and went to her seat. Talas put a comforting hand on Mala’s forearm, after she sat next to him. She put her hand on top of his for a moment and then pulled away, wiping the sorrow from her face and replacing it with her usual coolness.
The companions, looking tired and worse-for-wear bandaged up as they were, stood in front of their tall-backed wooden seats around a large rectangular table with Illyander’s entwined dragon crest etched into the middle of it. Other than the crest, the table was unadorned and simply stained a dark brown. King Morgan and Queen Xavia, who Jared just noticed, waited patiently at one end of the table. At the opposite end, the frowning Magus stood.
A knightly looking gentleman in his mid-years, wearing plate armor and a King’s Guard tabard lined in gold, sat to the Queen’s left. He even wore mail underneath the plate, which struck Sasha as odd, because Snowhaven fighters just wore padded armor underneath to allow for more movement. His helm, with red and blue plumes, rested in the crook of his arm. Strapped to his waist was a worn sword belt and sheathed in it was a broadsword with a rectangular blue sapphire in the flattened oval pommel. This new man’s short-cropped blond hair was streaked with grey, but his face was still strong.
Branden walked with Jared and Sasha toward the other side of the table. Talas nodded a greeting to Jared as he passed, which Jared returned. The huntsman could see that the holy man’s right bicep was bandaged under his shirt. Branden stood behind a chair to the King’s right. Sasha stood next to her father. Katya stood, waiting at her seat that was between Sasha and Jared. Jared took the last seat next to Katya, who had a smile for him as he approached. Jared sighed with relief not to see the Princess amongst those gathered.
“Please be seated,” King Morgan said in a friendly but stern voice.
After they sat, Niko popped his head out of the pocket of Katya’s robe at her hip and waved drowsily at Jared. The angle allowed Jared to see that Chyla was in the pocket too, although in deep sleep. The Nhyme woman’s face was streaked and red around her eyes, like she had been crying all day. Jared smiled at Niko but did nothing else, so as to not attract attention. He wondered where her father’s body had been hidden for the time being. Katya put a hand on his arm.
“It is good to see you up and moving again. I was worried,” she whispered.
The King went around the table introducing the companions to the new gentleman, “Veldrun Lecea, Captain of the King’s Guard, please meet,” the King nodded to each person in turn, starting to his right and going around the table, “Branden Ironwright, retired King’s Guard, Sasha Ironwright, Swordswoman of the Snowhaven Fighter School, Katya Ironwright, Sorceress of the Snowhaven Sorcerer School, Jared, Magus Lucian who you already know, Talas Greycastle and, last not but not least, Mistress Mala, Master Swordswoman of the Snowhave
n Fighter School.”
Captain Veldrun had nodded at each individual, as King Morgan did the introductions. After the King was done, he said, “Greetings. I owe you my thanks for protecting the palace last night. You have done us a great service. I just wish my guard could have aided you in the endeavor.”
The King added, “Yes, and that brings us to our first topic of discussion, the six of you charging down into my catacombs without one word to myself or even a guard.” Branden made as if he wanted to speak by opening his mouth. The King ignored it and continued. “While your intention was honorable, had you all fallen these Shadow Walkers would have followed your trail back up into the palace proper and murdered quite a few before their presence was discovered. Think on that.” Branden looked disheartened like all the wind had been knocked out of him. He also looked very old at that moment, Jared thought. The King’s grimace brightened considerably.
“Fortunately for us,” King Morgan motioned to the four residents of the palace, “you six are well-trained and knew what you were doing. You traveled into the darkness and brought light to a barren place, conquering the pestilence that had taken up residence there and thwarting the Ice Queen’s plan to take Aeirsga from the inside. For that, my friends, you have my personal thanks and the thanks of the Kingdom. The monsters that we removed from the hidden chamber, where you fought, were horrifying indeed. They were brought outside into dawn’s light upon your request. Like you have seen before, their bodies dissolved in the sun. You have struck a mighty blow to the Ice Queen.
“Now, I come to the third order of business,” the King continued. “Rest here for a short time to allow your wounds to heal, but then I ask of you to return with a contingent of my men to Snowhaven. Captain Veldrun has a plan that is very interesting, and he will explain it in detail. By executing the Captain’s plan, you will in turn aid General Frey in reclaiming your home and trapping the Ice Queen. I charge you with this, my brave men and women.”